Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 20 August 1904
Conisboro’ Pig-Stye Ablaze.
Old Man Committed To Gaol.
The sequel to a pig-stye fire at Conisboro’ on the previous Sunday night was heard at the Doncaster West Riding Police Court on Saturday, before Major Dove, presiding, and other magistrates, when an old man named George Dawson, a labourer, of Conisboro’, was charged on remand with arson. This charge was afterwards reduced to one of wilful damage.
Mary Ann Dawson said she was the wife of the prisoner, and was a householder, living at Mount Pleasant, Conisboro’. She had a pig-stye at the bottom of the garden, which was composed of wood, with a roof of felting, and contained ten pigs. Five or six weeks ago the prisoner caused some disturbance in the house, and had threatened many times to burn the pig-stye down. She went to bed on Sunday night at 11-30, and her daughter slept in the same room. They lay awake for some time talking, and she saw the reflection of a fire on the chamber door. She got up and looked out of the window, and saw that the styes were ablaze, and saw the prisoner coming from that direction. With the assistance of her daughter and her son they put the fire out with water. There was some newly-cut corn near by, which she knew nothing about. On the last occasion when the prisoner was at home he said to her, “I’ll do for you.” The fire caused considerable damage to the stye, burning the whole of one side, and part of the roof, but it did not reach the pigs.
John Coulson, groom at Hooton Roberts, said he knew the prisoner. On Sunday night last he went into the Hill Top Inn, about 9-30 p.m., and saw the prisoner there. With some companions, he (witness) left about ten o’clock, Dawson going out about three minutes before. Witness walked on to Hooton Roberts with James Walton and Thos. Hicks. He never saw the prisoner again after leaving the public house. He saw the prisoner on the following Tuesday night, when he said that he had heard there was a bit of bother about some pig-styes being set on fire, and he might want him and Walton as witnesses for him to prove that he came down from Hill Top to Hooton with them. He never said how he got to know, but he said that he was in bed by 10-30.
James Walton, milk dealer, of Hooton Roberts, said he was at the Hill Top Inn the previous Sunday night, staying until turning out time, and he saw the prisoner there. He walked on to Hooton Roberts with the last witness and Thos. Hicks. Prisoner did not walk with them.
P.S. Horton, stationed at Conisboro’, said he saw the pig-stye on the Tuesday evening, and saw some new oats near by. There was a field of oats, part of which had been cut, next to the garden. He also saw some footprints, which appeared to be newly made, in the garden. Three same evening he apprehended the prisoner at Hooton Roberts, and charged him with having set fire to the stye on the previous Sunday night. He replied, “No, I was not near hand. It’s no nearer than on the road at six o’clock.” Witness took him into the garden and walked him beside the footprints already made. The marks the prisoner left were identical with them. The heel dipped very deep, whilst the tread of the toes was very light. It was about half-a-mile from the Hill Top Inn to the garden, and a mile from the Inn to Hooton Roberts. He knew the prisoner had been staying at Hooton Roberts, which was 1½ miles from his wife’s house. Prisoner further said “I left the Hill Top public house at ten o’clock, and walked down the road with John, with Jim Walton, Billy Ward, and the groom at the Manor House – they call him Jack. I slept in a granary at Mottram’s Farm, and was in bed by half-past ten o’clock.”
Charlotte Dawson, daughter of the prisoner, said she lived with her mother at Mount Pleasant. On Sunday night last she went to bed with her mother, and after some time her mother got up and began talking to her, and witness then saw that the pig-styes were on fire. On the previous Thursday there was some disturbance, and her father left home on the Friday morning. When he was going he said to her mother, “I’m going to do for you, so get ready; I’ll knock your brains out if you don’t get out of the way.”
In answer to the charge the prisoner said, “I deny the charge; I never touched it.” Continuing, he said he never was there; he went to Hooton at ten o’clock, and went to bed at 10-30, never getting out again until 5-30 on the Monday morning.
The Chairman said the charge had been reduced from one of arson to wilful damage, and for that he would be committed to Wakefield for one month with hard labour.